Sleep Apnea and Diabetes Cause Virginia Trucking Accidents

A professional truck driver has to have a medical condition saying they are physically fit and mentally able to drive to obtain a valid Commercial Drivers License (CDL License).

If they do not have it then they are in violation of federal law and should not be behind the wheel.

Now what ends up happening sometimes is that since these truck drivers livelihood depends on them being able to drive, so they will sometimes fudge the medical certificate and lie to the medical examiner, even if they have diabetes, sleep apnea, or some other kind of problem that would jeopardize their ability to safely drive the truck. They’ll say to the medical examiner “Oh no, I do not snore”or “Oh no, my blood sugar is fine and everything is under control”when it’s not and they know it.

I’ve done some really good work for some families who’ve had a loved one killed or have been seriously injured by trucking accidents. What I’ve done is to probe into the truck driver’s medical records and found where they had diabetes, which they knew, but were not taking their medication and were not following the doctors’ orders. I’ve got another case I’m working on right now where the guy had sleep apnea. He knew he had a history of snoring and yet he lied to the medical examiner and said he did not snore.

Sleep apnea is a very hot issue right now in CDL licensing because if you are chronically fatigued you should not be driving a big rig. These drivers know that. It’s one thing if you have sleep apnea and you have the machine or you get a mouth device and you’re at least trying to treat it. However this guy was driving around and doing nothing to treat it, was ignoring his problem, and was making his problem our problem. For more information on this topic please check out Cooper Hurley Law Firm’s “The Best Book About Virginia Trucking Accidents” which can be found on our website.
I would love to help you if you have had an accident involving a big rig truck driver. Cooper Hurley Injury lawyers represent those hurt in truck accidents across Virginia or the families of those who have died in big rig wrecks. Truck accidents are often caused by driver negligence. It may be a lapse in concentration or drowsiness behind the wheel or even distracted driving.